Rep. Carolyn McCarthy on Secretary Clinton Visit to Middle East: "U.S. Should Not Shy from its Support for Peace and its Support for Israel'

Statement

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY4) said before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Jerusalem, Ramallah and Cairo today that "the U.S. should not shy from its support for peace and its support for Israel today." Her full statement follows:

"I wish Secretary of State Clinton a safe and productive trip to the Middle East today and urge her to strongly reinforce our nation's support for Israel's right to defend itself from terrorist attacks against its civilians.

"The fact is that the recent escalations in conflict at the Israeli border stem from Hamas's rocketfire into civilians areas and Hamas must stop for the fighting to stop. Our nation would never stand for attacks targeting our civilians or soldiers and we must support Israel fully in its current state of crisis.

"In times of conflict like this you must stand firm behind your beliefs and with your allies -- the responsibility for the current state of fighting lies squarely with the terrorist organization Hamas and the U.S. should not shy from its support for peace and its support for Israel today."